Excellence Begins With Me

Excellence Begins with Me is a video series that highlights the people, programs and services that positively impact the Tempe Elementary School District.

“It is our mission to recognize the excellence that is on display each and every day in the Tempe Elementary community,” said Superintendent Chris Busch. ”I am proud to showcase these extraordinary people who commit themselves to the highest levels of excellence.”

A new video is produced for the second Governing Board meeting each month.

Love and respect. These words resonate daily inside and outside the walls of Curry Elementary School. They signal a new day for the Curry Elementary community. They signal a new way of engaging each and every Curry student. They signal an ongoing pathway to excellence and success at John J. Curry Elementary School.

In the words of Principal Ken White, “In turning a D school into a B school, I really believe the most important thing was the understanding that we will never give up on our children. Every single child can learn and can be successful and we will work tirelessly to make sure that every child knows that they can reach their highest potential academically and socially.”

Teacher Jonathan Powell takes it one step further. “Every child at Curry Elementary School wants to be at Curry Elementary School. They know that they are loved. They know they’re going to have fun. And most of all they know that they are going to learn.” It’s with tremendous love and respect that we celebrate the entire Curry Elementary School community with the Excellence Begins With Me recognition.

Setting up a mission and vision for learning. Changing behaviors. Coming together as a staff. Seeking professional development. Building a school-wide community. Talking about instructional practices. Setting goals for staff and students. Implementing the best instructional practices.

These are just some of comments from the Frank Elementary School staff when talking about their dramatic journey to elevate their learning environment over the past few years to a “B” grade. Their excellence in the classroom is a model for all schools seeking academic success. And it’s an inspirational journey that just keeps getting stronger. In the words of Principal Martha Jacobo-Smith: “We have looked at where we are right now, and we look at where we are going tomorrow. We know this is just a beginning. We remain resolute in doing the very best that we know needs to take place for every student at Frank Elementary School. The greatest accomplishment I feel we have at Frank is a staff that is invested in our school, is invested in making sure that our students achieve high academic achievement. They believe in our children.”

That’s why we celebrate the entire Frank Elementary School community with the Excellence Begins With Me recognition.

Teachers are angels without any wings, accomplishing so many wonderful things. Their lives are committed to those that they teach, touching forever the hearts that they reach. Teacher. Angel.

These words describe tonight’s Excellence Begins With Me recipient — Rover’s Marla Naisant — perfectly. Marla is kind, caring, giving…and generous — generous with her time, her patience, her spirit. She is always pushing the learning envelope with her special needs SKILLS students, from growing vegetable gardens right outside their classroom to field trips with their buddy class to Fees College Prep to listen to the orchestra perform to taking all her students on a trip around the world without ever leaving the classroom. And she does this each and every day with each and every lesson she designs — all in a kind and caring and giving way.

Excellence truly begins with Marla. Marla Naisant is an inspiration to us all here in TD3. She defines the passion and commitment of teaching that all our students need and deserve each and every day. Quite simply, Excellence is Marla Naisant.

Connolly Middle School recently received the Arizona Educational Foundation’s “A+ School of Excellence” award for 2017. From the exceptional leaders to the incredible students to the wonderful teachers and staff to the supportive families and community — the A+ School of Excellence award recognizes the hard work and dedicated efforts day in and day out all year long to produce continuous achievement and high standards for ALL Connolly students.

The application and evaluation process for being an A+ school is comprehensive and rigorous. Connolly was recognized for their superior ability to identify and meet the academic and non-academic needs of their student population.

Making connections, providing a caring learning environment, and creating a climate of inclusiveness is what makes Connolly Middle School so “A-Plus” special. Congratulations to the entire Connolly Middle School community for being named a 2017 “A+ School of Excellence.”

This video highlights the incredible passion, commitment, and excellence that is the partnership between Desert Choice Schools and Tempe Elementary.

TD3 partnered with DCS nearly two years ago to meet the challenging behaviors of students on our campuses in order for them to be successful both academically and socially.

Through a highly structured Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports system along with scientifically based instructional programs, Desert Choice Schools programs are designed to teach personal responsibility and social skills while maintaining a strong academic focus. Students at DCS become advocates for their own learning. They are taught new ways of thinking that help them navigate positively through problems they encounter. They are also challenged academically.

Because of this, Desert Choice Schools is the latest recipient of the Excellence Begins With Me award recognition.

This video celebrates the excellence that is Jeff Homstad. On his employee badge, it says Jeff is a project manager for FMFL, but he is much more than that. If you go throughout TD3 and you talk to teachers, administrators, principals, bus drivers — it doesn’t matter who it is — everybody knows Jeff and everybody knows that he’s the go-to person when you need something done or if you have an emergency in the middle of the night — Jeff’s your guy because he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make Tempe Elementary schools a better place to learn for our children and a better place to work for our employees.

What truly defines Jeff Homstad and the work he performs is his passion for excellence in everything he does. Whether he’s working on the design of a new school building or just performing a simple repair, Jeff brings the same passion, the same caring, the same level of excellence to each and every job he does, each and every day.

What’s so amazing about Jeff in all the work he performs is he’s always trying to make the learning environment better for children and teachers. And he does it with such respect, so mindful of trying never to interrupt the educational process of student and teachers in schools. He truly loves TD3. He truly loves his job. And it shows in everything he does.

Quite simply, excellence is Jeff Homstad and he deserves the Excellence Begins With Me recognition.

We have incredible teachers throughout TD3: instructors who dedicate their lives to educating Tempe Elementary students; teachers who will stop at nothing to see students succeed; teachers who practice excellence in everything they do — teachers like Carminati Elementary’s Jan Olis.

As the campus SMIALS teacher, Jan’s students are everything to her, and she puts her heart and soul into every minute with them. Students love her. Parents love her. Her colleagues love her. But her efforts don’t just stop with her own students — Jan is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to help every Carminati student. As Principal Wendy Reeck put it, “Jan is one of my runners. She is out ahead of everyone else, paving the way for kids. She is humble, kind, dedicated, incredibly knowledgeable and sometimes doesn’t even understand the gifts that she has to give, and does give, to all of us on a regular basis.”

Jan is truly an inspiration for her colleagues at Carminati, for all employees in TD3, and for teachers everywhere. She defines the passion and commitment of teaching that our students need and deserve each and every day. Quite simply, excellence is Jan Olis.

Fuller Elementary School was recently recognized as one of only four Arizona schools to receive the 2016 National Blue Ribbon Award by the United States Department of Education. From the exceptional leaders to the incredible students to the wonderful teachers and staff to the supportive families and community — the National Blue Ribbon Award recognizes the hard work and dedicated efforts they do day in and day out all year long to produce continuous achievement and high standards for ALL Fuller students.

Trust, passion, family, community — these are words used repeatedly throughout the Fuller Elementary School community to describe their school. From the moment you walk in the door at Fuller, you can feel the warmth, the energy, the sense of purpose that makes this school so special. This Excellence Begins With Me video recognition celebrates Fuller Elementary School being named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School.

“Congratulations!” to the entire Fuller Elementary community for being named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School!

We have an incredible group of veteran teachers throughout the Tempe Elementary School District, instructors who have dedicated their lives to educating our students, introducing new ideas and concepts for children to explore, and bringing the world around them alive through innovation and creativity.

But where would the profession of teaching be without new teachers? And not just new teachers, but outstanding new teachers! In a time when the teaching profession both locally and nationally is facing a teacher shortage, we are celebrating here in TD3 with a truly amazing new group of teachers — teachers filled with endless energy, passion, dedication and a never-ending desire to truly change the world for our Tempe Elementary students.

This Excellence Begins With Me video celebrates this outstanding new group of TD3 teachers through the thoughts and feelings of six exceptional new teachers.

In May 2015, Gililland Middle School Science Teacher Scott Nasser won the Tempe Diablos Excellence in Education Award for Inspiration. This award is given to an individual who inspires and motivates through the giving of their time, talent, and skills that support student learning.

When Scott Nasser won the Inspiration Award in May 2015, he took home a plaque and $1,000 to spend however he pleased. Nasser could have bought something nice for himself or paid off some bills, but he decided to pay it forward instead. He wanted to teach that concept to his National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) students by using that money on a community service project. They fixed up a neighborhood yard near the school. Nasser purchased gravel for the project and has spent a few Saturdays working on it along with the NJHS students and a few other teachers.

Scott Nasser is truly an example of Excellence and the powerful impact of "paying it forward."

In this video, we celebrate the incredible work six professional artists perform in TD3 classrooms throughout the year to teach, explore, and inspire the creative side of our students.

The Studio Artists Program is a partnership between TD3 and the City of Tempe and is primarily funded for the next five years through the incredible generosity of our good neighbor — State Farm. In the program, TD3 third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders get an opportunity to experience professional-quality art instruction, while TD3 provides work and studio space at Wood and Nevitt elementary schools for the artists. In watching this video, you will see firsthand the passion, commitment, and excellence that is the Studio Artists Program.

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” We are so thankful to artists Sue Norton-Scott, Lauren Lee, Melanie Sainz, Shari Keith, George Heslop, and Such Styles for “passing it on” to TD3 students. Their commitment to art education here in TD3 does not go unnoticed and is so greatly appreciated.

We have incredible teachers throughout TD3, instructors who dedicate their lives to educating Tempe Elementary students, introducing new ideas and concepts for children to explore, and bringing the world around them alive through innovation and creativity. These are passionate educators who spend untold hours before and after the school bell to make sure every student has an exceptional learning experience in a Tempe Elementary classroom.

Fuller Music Teacher Erik Whitehill is a perfect example of one of these passionate educators in TD3. Students love him. Parents love him. His colleagues love him. Erik is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. Whether it’s part of his job or not, Erik is always willing to lend a helping hand in anything that is Fuller, community or music. Quite simply, excellence is Erik Whitehill.

Erik does many amazing things outside of his classroom. For the past 20 years, he has been a composer of music — he not only writes music for his students at Fuller, but he also writes for the honor choir in our District as well as composing for different churches. He’s a playwright. He has had choral music and musicals published and nationally distributed. And on top of all that (and teaching), he still finds time to help out at a senior center.
As you can see, excellence truly begins with Erik Whitehill.

Thanks to multiple studies and observation projects, Nutrition Services found large amounts of waste. The Take 2 Program was created by our Nutrition Services Department to remind our students to “take two” fruits and/or vegetables at lunch. By redesigning and refining everything from the type of food, serving size, informational campaign and re-educating kitchen personnel, the impact of Take 2 was immediate — less waste, better cost control, and most importantly, our students were benefiting from eating more foods that are even better nutritionally for them. Brightly colored magnets displaying the images and words of the fruits and vegetables offered that day are put up on a farmer’s market style “Produce Patch” sign located in the serving line. Cafeteria staff also encourage students to “Take 2” as they choose their meals.
This video recognizes our Nutrition Services Department and the many employees in our kitchens throughout TD3 who show that excellence can also be nutritional.

The Assistance League of the East Valley has been working with the Tempe Elementary School District for over 20 years. During those 20 years, Assistance League East Valley members have put in more than 500,000 volunteer hours supporting the Tempe Elementary School District and its families. Thanks to one of the best thrift shops in Arizona, Assistance League East Valley generates money that helps fund their signature program — Operation School Bell — and provides clothing and school uniforms to our students so they can look and feel just like the rest of their classmates.

This video recognizes the many volunteers of the Assistance League East Valley for their tireless and dedicated service to Tempe Elementary. In it, you will see why the Assistance League East Valley is truly a gift to the entire Tempe Elementary community.

Joe Spracale is a long-time Tempe resident, a product of the Tempe Elementary School District himself, and a former teacher and administrator in the Tempe District.

He is a face recognized by many in Tempe, greeted everywhere he goes. Always wearing a big smile, he is a dedicated, compassionate man with a heart of gold. He cares deeply about the children of Tempe and specifically those in the Tempe Elementary School District.

Joe, himself, defines excellence with one word – caring. "Care about yourself. Care about your friends. Care about your family. Care about your grades. Care about everything you do, and excellence will follow." These are the very words that Spracale models himself, every single day, in everything he does.

For these reasons, and more, watch this video and see why Excellence Begins With Joe Spracale.

Fuller Elementary, Nevitt Elementary, Tempe Academy of International Studies, and Ward Traditional Academy have all earned an “A” in 2014.

The principals of these schools have some things in common that have made a difference for their schools: They all have passion and are dedicated to their children; They are positive role models; They believe all students can achieve; and they believe in that their staff can succeed.

The Tempe Elementary School District is so fortunate to have individuals and businesses in the community who not only see a need, but also then willingly use their talents and resources to fill those needs — businesses like Children’s Dental Village.

For more than 20 years, Children’s Dental Village has opened its doors a couple times a year to Tempe Elementary students and their siblings to take care of children’s urgent and preventive dental needs — all for free. All of Children’s Dental Village employees — doctors, dental assistants and front office staff — volunteer their time on these special days.

In this Excellence Begins With Me video, Tempe Elementary Schools celebrates the volunteer spirit that turns a child’s painful frown into a beautiful, happy smile.

In 2006, an exciting program was launched in TD3, a program where adults aged 50 and older work with first-, second- and third-grade students one-on-one or in small groups to improve their literacy skills and self-confidence.

The tutors are community members who have expressed an interest and willingness to make a difference in our children’s lives. Since the program began, tutors have logged more than 35,000 hours helping more than 2,000 children in nine Tempe Elementary School District schools.

This Excellence Begins With Me video celebrates this wonderful program – AARP Experience Corps Tempe – and the 78 incredible volunteers who truly make a difference for our children.

This video celebrates the passion,
dedication and commitment of Getz Preschool Teacher Graciela Jauregui,
who recently received the Chicanos Por La Causa Esperanza Latino Teacher
Award. Jauregui teaches two preschool classes with 11 children with
special needs and five typical peers in both morning and afternoon
sessions. Her student data from 2012-2013 exceeded expectations in all
five developmental areas tested – social, physical, language, cognitive
and literacy – affirming that the learning that happens each day in her
classroom is phenomenal.

For the past three years, Hudson Elementary School has earned an “A” letter grade from the Arizona Department of Education — and the leaders and educators associated with Hudson say their “Flex Room” and Its instructional assistants are two of the main reasons for the school’s academic success.

Hudson’s “Flex Room” was created four years ago as a place full of resources, where students come to learn in small groups. Before the creation of the “Flex Room,” instructional assistants would visit students in their classrooms

At the time the “Flex Room” was created, instructional assistants became truly imbedded into the collaborative decision-making team for each of their students. The instructional assistants attend weekly grade-level team meetings and meet regularly with teachers to discuss the progress of the students they work with each day. This change has left quite an impression on learning at Hudson.

Nathan was one of 11 Arizona teachers selected in December 2013 by Rodel based on outstanding student achievement in his classroom and a dedicated and committed effort to mentor new teachers.

In this video, you will see and hear why excellence and Nathan Maruca go hand-in-hand. Demonstrating a true passion for teaching along with a dedicated commitment to helping other teachers excel in the classroom is why Aguilar’s Nathan Maruca was honored as an “Excellence Begins With Me” award recipient.

The Connolly Symphonic Band, under the direction of teachers’ Philip Lemar and Dennis Smith, was one of just two Arizona middle or high schools to be selected through audition tapes — and the only middle school — to perform live before all of Arizona’s music educators at the Arizona Music Educators Conference last February in Mesa. To earn a performance spot in front of such a critical audience is a long and challenging process — it’s also one of the highest honors an Arizona music educator and their musical ensemble can possibly receive. In this video, you will see and hear how this incredible group of musicians and their remarkable teachers have created a new tone of excellence for TD3 musicians.

This video celebrates the hard work and dedication that earned Nevitt Elementary School an “A,” the state’s highest academic honor. Just five years ago, Nevitt’s academic performance was measured in the lower 25% of all district schools by a number of district and state assessments. Today….

82% of Nevitt’s 3rd, 4th and 5th graders met or exceeded on the reading portion of AIMS. To begin this school year, 21% more first graders are at benchmark in reading then 5 years prior, a jump from 63 to 84%.

In 2010, 46% of 3rd graders met or exceeded on the AIMS Math test. In 2013, that percentage grew to 77%. Just as impressive was the increase in the number of 3rd grade students who exceeded on the AIMS math test — from 10% in 2010 to 27% in 2013.

From 2011 to 2013, Nevitt grew 25 total points in the state’s formula for awarding letter grades — the highest three-year increase by any Tempe Elementary school.

As you will see and hear in this video, learning for all, whatever it takes, along with a work ethic second to none has transformed a school…and a community.